Buffet

FEATURED ARTICLES ABOUT BUFFET - PAGE 2

Crickets nightclub, 4345 Pine Island Road, will hold a Latin night beginning at 8 tonight. It will feature a Super Salsa dance show, and a Latin buffet. The cost is $5 at the door. A portion of the proceeds will go to Hispanic Unity of Florida, a nonprofit human services agency, said Carlos Leon, event spokesman.

Malnutrion is a major problem in nursing homes, according to researchers from Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing. So the researchers studied whether offering buffet-style dining would get residents to eat more and better. They studied 40 residents randomly assigned to either a buffet-style dining program or conventional tray-style meals. Results reported in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association showed that participants in the buffet group ate 25 percent more energy and protein and looked forward to meals.

The Fantasia Chinese Restaurant and Lounge could teach other restaurants how to set up a buffet. Fantasia`s buffet, which we tried at lunch, is simple with about 15 items. But less really is more. Each of the dishes we tried were well-prepared with quality ingredients. Unlike other Oriental buffets that overwhelm you with too many substandard entrees, Fantasia relies on quality, not quantity. The pepper steak was tender. and the vegetables crisp and colorful. Fried rice and white rice were moist and flavorful.

It wasn`t easy to make bids at the silent auction at the Gay 90`s Ooo-La-La fund-raiser for the Boca Raton Academy on Saturday night. Your shrimp got in the way. Or those scrumptious hot hors d`oeuvres that were being passed constantly. St. Andrew`s Country club was a nosher`s delight. Next to the silent auction display a long raw bar was piled with mountains of fat shrimp, oysters and such, and a table was full of cheeses, fruits, veggies, etc. Balancing a plate and fork while writing is not easy.

Blame it on Martha. That whiz of wondrous table settings, the entertaining expert so many Americans want to emulate, she's the one. Martha Stewart is the one who helped set the traditional cake plate on its ear -- or, perhaps, foot. In her many magazine spreads, books and TV specials, she showed that cake is not the only thing a footed plate can elevate. Instead, let it bring hors d'oeuvres, main dishes, even desserts other than cakes to new heights on the buffet table. Using the cake plate in other ways than its name implies speaks to today's style of entertaining, one that's more casual.

Buffets are tricky. It`s hard for restaurants to balance good food with vast quantities. Too often, the food suffers as does the presentation. The Chinese Fishing Village in Hollywood is able to strike a fine balance, however. Here, the buffet includes well-prepared food and attractive presentation. The buffet is located in the center, near the entrance. Three dining rooms handle the overflow of customers. The main dining room is simple, yet some thought appears to have gone into its decor.

Summer is here. Now`s the time to think positive. To find dining alternatives and maybe save a little money on the side. Now`s the time to consider noon-time buffets. After the usual on-scene research and reconnaissance, here are my recommendations: Lunas, Atlantic Plaza, 777 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach, 276-6379. The best-dressed setting and one of the best bargains, $5.95. That covers the cost of a handsomely-arrayed table filled with quality offerings served Tuesday through Friday.

Not all budget-stretching buffet tables, offering endless trips to an assortment of pizzas, pastas, salads and fruit, are found in American-Italian restaurants . There are several that are American-Chinese, including the Rickshaw Wok & Grill, located in a strip of stores near the Boynton Beach Mall. For the most part, the stores in the strip are empty. The recently bankrupt Skipper`s ice cream shop is next door. Across the strip to the north, Marie Callender is shuttered. And they had a really good salad bar. It was infinitely better than the one at the Rickshaw.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- "Please study menus and make selections as quickly as possible," instructs the sign at the beginning of the line at the Belle Meade Buffet. To whet appetites, the entrance to the cafeteria is decorated with enormous four-color photographs of food -- glamour shots that show dew glistening on ripe tomatoes, steam rising from slabs of prime rib, butter melting onto hot biscuits. We try hard, we DO try hard to study the menu and make our selections quickly, as requested.

It's been suggested, wrongly I might add, that John Pinette wouldn't have an act if he wasn't so ... cherubic. Most of Pinette's detractors, not surprisingly, are his more elitist fellow stand-ups, who envy at how easily le grand comedian wins over audiences with his banquet of food bits. With a look that's reminiscent of silent film star Fatty Arbuckle, the 350-pound Pinette has made a career of mocking his girth and his appetite, and he's done so with such self-deprecating mirth that even the most steadfast curmudgeon is wont to salute him with squalls of laughter.